Skopje, 14 June 2022 (MIA) – Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski and French Ambassador Cyrille Baumgartner opened Tuesday a two-day Southeast Europe seminar on common threat assessment related to organized crime, aimed to share methodologies, repressive strategies and penal policy. “The Ministry of Interior has been working on strengthening the institutional capacities of specialized units through the development and implementation of contemporary operating methodologies and standards, in parallel with continuous training. This systematic approach is already yielding results through the efficient elimination of a number of organized national and international criminal groups,” said Spasovski and thanked the French Embassy for hosting the seminar. According to him, fight against complex and specific forms of crime required the understanding of their modalities, forms, scope and effects, leading to the assessment of the real threats expected in the future. In this regard, he presented the series of strategic documents that recognize the threats and risks for the country, including Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA) 2021, the national strategies against narcotics, human trafficking and illegal migration, strengthening the capacities for financial investigations and property confiscation, cyber security etc. “Considering that the security situation in the region, primarily the Balkan route as an indicator of criminal activities, is reflected on the security of the European Union, a common need for a regional approach in defining the specific threats to member-states has been identified,” added Spasovski. The MoI expressed assurance that the process of adapting to the new trends that organized criminal groups use on a daily basis is a necessity and of crucial importance for an efficient response to the existing challenges.